


What Now?

by shadowsamurai



Category: Waking the Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-01
Updated: 2012-07-01
Packaged: 2017-11-08 23:20:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/448673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowsamurai/pseuds/shadowsamurai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Grace helps Boyd to deal with a difficult situation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Now?

**Author's Note:**

> Contains major spoilers for 'Wounds, Part 1 & 2', Episodes 9 and 10, Season 7. The beginning of the story is the end of the episode, and the words used might not be completely correct, but I've slept since watching it!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I'm just borrowing things for a while and I promise I'll put everything back exactly how I found it when I've finished. Well, almost exactly how I found it. ;)

 

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Boyd walked back to his office, vaguely aware of how eerily quiet the place was. He knew Grace was still out talking to Jimmy, and he briefly wondered when she'd be back, or if she'd go straight home. But his mind was focusing on Luke. No one had called him to say they'd traced his mobile, and Boyd could only imagine what his son had done.

Boyd stepped into his office and stopped. "What?" he asked as he took in the expression on Eve's face.

"Your son…," she started.

"Luke, he's called Luke," Boyd interrupted, fear rising rapidly in him.

Eve just inclined her head slightly. "They've been trying to get in touch with you. He's taken an overdose. I'm so sorry."

Boyd froze, cold washing over him as he started to recall everything that had happened over the past few weeks with Luke. He couldn't believe it, didn't *want* to believe it. Luke couldn't be dead. Not now. Boyd had only just found his son, he couldn't lose him again now.

"Boyd?" Eve said quietly, her features now registering great concern. Nothing. She tried again. "Boyd."

Boyd seemed to have gone into complete shock, which was no surprise, and Eve began swearing. She didn't know how to deal with this situation, and she began praying for Grace to return, though the psychologist didn't really have need to. Everyone else had gone home, and Grace would probably do the same.

It seemed someone was listening because not two minutes later, just as Eve was debating phoning the profiler, she saw Grace pass Boyd's office and head into the bullpen. Eve glanced quickly at Boyd again before rushing outside.

"Grace."

"Hi, Eve. I thought you'd have gone home," Grace said, smiling.

"I couldn't." The scientist looked awkward.

"What's happened?" Grace asked, a feeling of panic embracing her.

"It's Boyd's son."

"Luke? What's happened?" Grace repeated.

"He took an overdose." Eve took a deep breath before continuing. "He's dead."

Grace's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my God. Boyd." She then glanced into Boyd's office for the first time and saw him stood there. "You've told him?"

Eve nodded. "He's gone into shock. I don't know what to do. I'm better with, well, people that aren't alive."

"Okay, thanks, Eve." Grace looked at her and smiled slightly. "Go home, we'll see you tomorrow."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'll take care of Boyd."

"Okay." Eve didn't need telling twice. She now knew why police officers hated delivering bad news.

Grace went into Boyd's office and closed his door quietly. "Boyd?" she said, but received no answer. He was still stood like a zombie, just staring into space. Grace stood in front of him and reached out to rub his arm. "Boyd?"

Vaguely aware someone was talking to him, Boyd looked down slightly, but Grace could see there was no recognition behind his eyes. She needed to snap him out of the state he was in, and she needed to do it quickly. She carried on rubbing his arm, but it didn't have any effect.

Shaking slightly, Grace reached up with her free hand and cupped face, her fingers on his neck and her thumb on his cheek. "Boyd, talk to me, please," she said, a little louder than before. "Peter…."

"I lost him, Grace," Boyd replied, his voice cracking. "I found him, I tried…tried to help him, to make amends, and now I've lost him."

"Luke?" Grace asked, although she already knew the answer.

Boyd nodded. "I just don't understand why," he replied, his tone of voice so lost and desperate, Grace felt tears pricking her eyes. "Why did he have to…take a bloody…overdose?"

It suddenly became too much for Boyd. His shoulders started to shake and he reached up to cover his mouth as his lips started to tremble. The tears began to fall freely from his eyes as sobs escaped and echoed loudly around his office. Grace tried to hold him as he collapsed against her, but Boyd's skeleton seemed to have turned to jelly. Unable to support the both of them, Grace sank heavily to the ground, Boyd falling with her. She knew as soon as her arse hit the floor that she'd be extremely sore later, but right now she was too concerned with trying to comfort the grown man she was cradling in her arms.

Boyd was literally crying his heart out onto Grace's arm, clinging to her with such ferociousness, Grace wondered if he'd ever let go. She made the usual reassuring noises as she rubbed his back, and eventually she rested her cheek against the top of his head and just rocked him gently.

Grace wasn't sure when Boyd finally stopped crying, and she was surprised that he didn't try and move away. While she had been holding him, Grace had come to a decision regarding Boyd and what she was going to do with him that night.

"Boyd," she started quietly, "I know you're probably going to shout at me and say you don't need mothering, but I really don't want you to be on your own. Now I'm not happy about you going back to yours, and I know you won't want to stay at mine, so I suggest we just stay here. What do you think?"

"The couches aren't big enough, the desks would be hard, and the floor's cold," he replied, his voice still shaky and his attempt at humour watery.

Grace smiled. "Let me get up and I can fix one of those problems. Just don't go anywhere."

"What about the bathroom?" Boyd asked.

"That's allowed, but no longer than ten minutes. And give me your car keys."

They helped each other up, Boyd obediently gave Grace his keys without argument and disappeared down the corridor while Grace went into her own office. She grabbed a number of items and went back into Boyd's office, dumping them on the floor as she took out her mobile.

"Eve? It's Grace. No, everything's fine. Well, as fine as it can be at the moment. Could you do me a favour? Could you get here before everyone else in the morning please? And come into Boyd's office quietly. Yes, I think it's the best thing. Alright, Eve. Thank you. Night." Grace turned her mobile off, put it on Boyd's desk and went about her task.

When Boyd returned from the bathroom - with a minute to spare because he checked - he was surprised to see a makeshift bed in the middle of his office floor.

"Where did you get those?" he asked in surprise, pointing to the blankets.

"My office. Sometimes people go into shock when you tell them bad news, and they need to be kept warm," she replied. "Plus I never know what time I'm going to get home, if I get home at all some days."

Boyd just nodded. "So which side do I sleep on?"

"Whichever you want."

He nodded again and lowered himself to the floor, sitting on the side of the 'bed' nearest the door, something Grace didn't fail to notice.

"Is that so you can escape while I'm sleeping?" she asked mildly.

"No, it's so I can protect you if someone comes in," he replied, and she knew he was being serious.

"Well, are you going to get under the covers or not?" Grace said, taking her own shoes and jacket off.

But Boyd just sat there, immobilised by shock again, so Grace sighed, reached over and helped him out of his jacket. Then she undid the cuffs on his shirt and the top two buttons, and finally she removed his shoes.

That accomplished, Grace pushed Boyd down until he was lay on his back. She pulled the blanket up to his chin, looked down at him and smiled. "Now go to sleep. And no snoring."

Boyd smiled back slightly. "Thank you."

"I'll send you your bill in the morning." Grace reached across to the lamp she had set on the floor and turned it off, plunging the room into total darkness. She snuggled down under the blanket and curled up, close enough to Boyd to make sure he didn't sneak off, but not close enough to touch.

WtD-WtD-WtD-WtD-WtD-WtD

Eve arrived at work at least an hour before the others the next day, and she cautiously made her way to the cold case offices. She paused outside Boyd's office, noticing the blinds were down, and wondering what state he would be in. Taking a deep breath, Eve slowly opened the door.

The sight inside made her breath catch in her throat. Boyd was on his left hand side, facing the door, on a makeshift bed on the floor. His left hand was underneath his 'pillow' and his right arm was covering…another right arm. As Eve looked closer, she could see Grace curled into Boyd's back, her arms around him as though protecting him. But Boyd's position between Grace and the door didn't escape Eve's notice, and she allowed herself a small smile before closing the door again.

"How the hell am I supposed to wake them up when they're like *that*?" she muttered to herself as she set about making coffee, hoping the amount of noise she was deliberately making would take care of that problem for her.

Inside Boyd's office, both occupants stirred having heard Eve open and close the door again.

"Thank you," Boyd said quietly, squeezing Grace's hand.

"You're welcome."

"What do I do now, Grace?" he asked in a small voice.

Grace hugged him. "I don't know, Boyd, but I'm here to help you get through it, if you want me to help."

"Thank you," Boyd repeated.

"You don't have to thank me, Boyd. That's what friends are for, you know."

"I'll try not to forget."

"Good."

"Work?"

"Work."

FIN


End file.
